Not Born With a Silver Spoon:
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER
John Davison Rockefeller, who lived for 97 years, from July 8, 1839-May 23, 1937, is widely considered the wealthiest American of all time. He started his business(in partnership) journey into prosperity at age 20, and founded his own business, Standard Oil Company in 1870 at age 30.
John D. Rockefeller was also the world's first billionaire, with a fortune net worth nearly 2% of America's national economy. This feat was achieved in 1916 at age 76.
He was the founder and leader of the Standard Oil Company(an oil refining company and the first great business trust in the United States). He was also the founder of the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. He also funded the establishment of Central Philippine University in the Philippines.
Rockefeller notably founded the General Education Board, and Rockefeller Foundation. The most interesting thing is that Rockefeller was a devout Christian, a baptist, who used a chunk of his wealth to support many church-based institutions and projects. He was a faithful congregant of the Erie Street Baptist Mission Church, where he taught Sunday school, and served as a trustee, clerk, and occasional janitor of the Church.
As part of his personal lifestyle creed, he was abstemious and stayed away from tobacco throughout his lifetime. He was a practising monogamist, staying glued to his one and only wife, Laura Spelman Rockefeller, from whom he had all his five children. Report has it that he relied closely on his wife for advice.
Rockefeller held religion as a guiding force throughout his life and he believed it to be the source of his success as he practised tithing right from childhood.
He said,
"“Yes, I tithe, and I would like to tell you how it all came about. I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother. My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I went to work, I took the $1.50 home to my mother and as she held the money in her lap she explained to me that she would be happy if I would give a tenth of it to the Lord.
I did, and from that week until this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I want to say, if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made. Tell your readers to train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord.”
And for those who think religion is a scam and total waste of man hour, and those who believe that you can't marry true Christianity with wealth, let me remind you again that the first American billionaire, and consequently, the first world's billionaire, John Davison Rockefeller, was highly religious.
The truth is that just anybody can climb to any height. The earlier one starts, the better. Rockefeller was born into a large, poor family. He wasnt born rich, he was born poor. Though he was poor, he started business at 20(in partnership), and founded his own business at 30. He was determined. He became the world's first billionaire at 76.
Osasuyi Omoragbon,
January 2023.
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